Sweet Like Chocolate
by Lucky Kitsune 497
Summary: Himuro has his eyes set on a mystery person and Murasakibara has to deal with the aftermath of rumours spreading around school and come to terms with his own feelings. [Murahimu]


**A/N: So sorry, so sorry for my delay but at least I now have a Murahimu story to make up for it. This is way OOC and so lame in a way that you'll wanna say _gekidasa daze_ (super lame) to me. I tried to make Murasakibara sound normal and not like a small kid, hopefully I've done it right. Please don't kill me if you don't like it.**

**Standard disclaimer applies [the usual I-do-not-own-KnB stuff], and I'm sorry if this sucked (I might have overdone it). Please read and take 30 seconds to review, let me know if it sucked.**

**Story Playlist: _Can't I Love You_ by Changmin & Jinwoo [yes, it's a Korean song]**

* * *

**Murasakibara Atsushi x Himuro Tatsuya**

"_Whenever I see you, whenever you smile for me  
Little by little, my feelings for you grew_

_When I think of you now, when I picture you,  
My beating heart doesn't know how to stop_

_I can't hide my feelings anymore  
I want to give it all to you"_

…

"_Everyday, because of my growing love for you  
For the entire day, I really can't do anything at all._

_Now it's no secret that my heart is filled with love for you"_

**_..._**

_Muro-chin is so beautiful_, Murasakibara thought to himself in slight awe as Himuro released a Mirage Shot.

It was out of character for someone like Murasakibara to so openly admire someone, much less his own teammate/almost-best friend. Most people thought that he was too obsessed with sweets and snacks to care about anything else but that isn't true. He just refuses to think too much into any subject at all, it's just too much trouble.

He never thought much of it when Himuro introduced himself to him when he first transferred into Yosen. He was rather friendly with him, and was actually sincere in getting to know the tall center. The only reason Murasakibara didn't shove him away like he did with everyone else was that he provided him with delicious snacks and he was patient and kind with him, unlike the others who only saw him a lazy, dim witted titan-sized person. Hey, anyone who's kind to him and just gives him candy like his nee-chan did wins brownie points in Murasakibara's book.

The truth is, Murasakibara wasn't dim witted. Maybe a little bit here and there but that's beside the point. In fact, it was just the opposite. He could be quite smart and sharp when he wanted; only he never wanted to be. Come on, for someone who has Physics as his best subject, do you think he's dim witted? Of course he isn't.

At first, Murasakibara was slightly confused as to why a person like Himuro would want to be friends with someone like him? He wasn't particularly popular, had a bad habit of snacking at all times of the day, and he's not really one of the smartest in the school (this is due to his lack of motivation to actually focus on his studies). Aside from basketball and his monstrous height (by Japan standards, or anywhere else in the world), nothing about him really stands out. And yet, Himuro made it a point to follow the younger boy around and act as his unofficial babysitter.

Murasakibara was slightly annoyed at first that Himuro followed him wherever he went, despite him being a first year and Himuro a second year. Even the school allowed Himuro to walk in and out of Murasakibara's classes to 'supervise' him and chose to put the two boys in the same dorm. But as time went by, he found Himuro's presence by his side a comforting one. It wasn't something he could really put in words but when Himuro's around him, he felt… lighter? Less grumpier of a person perhaps?

Murasakibara knows he's a man of little feelings or words, which is why the things he's feeling is confusing him. There's not one person whom he could find comfort in, besides his nee-chan and his mother, but all of a sudden, Himuro felt like a necessity in his boring and mundane life.

Not even Akashi's orders were this important to him, and frankly it was a relief that Akachin was a thousand miles away from Akita and not breathing down his neck every minute of the day. It made him _really_ glad it was Himuro and not his former teammates (a.k.a. the Miracles).

Himuro noticed the younger boy staring at him (or it could be the wall behind him). "Atsushi, you've been spacing out."

"Oh, Sorry Murochin, just thinking about something."

"Care to share?" Himuro tossed the ball he was holding to his friend.

"Nothing, just thinking something that nee-chan told me over the phone."

"Ahh, okay."

Okay, that wasn't really a lie. His sister really did call him yesterday to ask him how he was, but s he did say something to him a while ago when he asked her a peculiar question.

**...**

"_Nee-chan, how does it feel to be in love with someone?"_

"_Huh, in love with someone?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Well, to put it simply, you'll always be wanting see that person, or just stay beside them all the time. When you see them, your heart starts beating like crazy or your stomach starts to get this fluttering feeling inside. All you want is for this person to stay by your side and never leave, it won't really matter by then whether they return your feelings or not. All you need is that person."_

"_I see…"_

"_But Atsushi, it's not like you to ask something like this. Usually, you'd be asking me to send more snacks to you in Akita. Do you perhaps… have someone you like? Did you meet someone?"_

_Murasakibara was unsure about how to respond to his sister's simple question. _

"_I don't know nee-chan…"_

"_I see. You'll know soon enough, Atsushi. You'll know it when you see it."_

**_..._**

His sister's words were simple enough, but he couldn't really grasp the meaning. What did she mean by _you'll know soon enough_? Frankly, it was too complex for him to understand and he was too lazy to do so anyway. But sure enough, little by little, he started to get what his sister was talking about.

He couldn't help but notice how beautiful elegant Himuro looked, even on the basketball court. The older boy emitted a certain aura of grace that is almost unseen in a male and yet he managed to pull it off without looking out of place. If anything, it made girls flock to his sides like bees to honey.

Though he never mentioned it or anything, Murasakibara knew that he truly enjoyed the time spent with Himuro, whether it's a trip out to town or during the rare times where the both of them would make their way to the kitchens of their dorm and cook up some wonderful dessert (even though Murasakibara did most of the cooking itself, Murasakibara didn't allow Himuro to do much).

He absolutely hated it when he saw girls flocking to Himuro's sides. He would always get this strange twinge inside his heart that made him want to crush those girls who wouldn't stop bothering Himuro, he had to constantly fight the urge to shove them all away and tell them that Muro-chin was his and only his. And forget about all the ones who tried to pester him to set them up with his friend. Sorry but you asked the wrong guy.

He couldn't really explain this insane feeling that burns within him whenever he sees Himuro with someone else other than him, and it's all too damned confusing. And the fact that his heart thrums with excitement whenever he steps onto court with Himuro or even just spending time in the kitchen with him isn't really helping either.

"Murasakibara, stop spacing out and get out of the way!" Fukui Kensuke shouted at the Yosen ace, yanking him out of his thoughts.

"Oh… sorry senpai."

* * *

**\(^ v ^)/**

* * *

For once, Himuro wasn't waiting at Murasakibara's classroom for him, which was odd. He was usually always here shortly after the final bell rang but today he was nowhere to be seen.

_It's not like Muro-chin to be late. Maybe I should go look for him in his classroom…_

With that thought, Murasakibara made his way to the second year classrooms to look for Himuro. The crowd of students parted like the Red Sea when they saw Murasakibara walking down the hallway. His tall frame attracted the attention of every student in the hall but he was used to it by now. It's always been like that ever since he was a kid.

The classrooms were mostly empty by the time he reached them, no one wanted to stay in there for any extended period of time in there, especially not on a Friday. But the purple haired boy knew that Himuro was still in there, there was no way that he'd leave without him.

"Uhm… Himuro-kun, I have something to tell you." A feminine voice came from inside the classroom.

Murasakibara froze at the doorway, choosing to stand behind it rather than going in like he usually would have done and peered into the classroom through the windows (which he was tall enough to look through). Inside, he saw Himuro standing at his seat with a girl which Murasakibara vaguely remembered seeing around campus.

"I'm sorry Saotome-chan, but can it wait until tomorrow? I have to pick up my roommate from the first year class and I'm already late."

"It'll only take a second really. Please…"

"Alright, what is it about?"

The girl took a deep breath before continuing. "Himuro-kun, ever since I transferred to Yosen, I have been in love with you. Would you please… go out with me?"

Himuro was quite for a while. "Saotome-chan, you're a really nice girl and any other guy would have been lucky to have you for a girlfriend. But I…."

"Himuro-kun, I'm already… transferring to America… next month. I-I've already gathered all my courage to confess, would you at least consider…" The girl managed to stutter, her eyes looked like they were welling up with tears.

"The truth is… I already have someone that I like. This is why I cannot accept your feelings. I'm sorry Saotome-chan."

The girl kept on staring at her shoes, unable to bring herself to look into Himuro's eyes. "I-I see… I'm sorry then. Thank you for your time."

She tried to turn and run out but Himuro grabbed her arm before she could do that. Himuro smiled softly at her.

"No, I am sorry. I don't mean to hurt you but I already have someone else in mind. Someday, you'll meet someone who you'll really love and you'll forget all about me. Just be patient, alright?"

"T-thank you, Himuro-kun. I'll be going now."

The girl turned around and fled the classroom immediately without paying attention to the tall freshman who obviously witnessed everything. Himuro gave a sigh before grabbing his bag and walking out as well. He was slightly surprised to see someone already at the door waiting for him.

"Atsushi…"

"You're late Muro-chin, so I figured I'd be the one picking you up this time."

"Ahh, thanks. Sorry, that girl had something to tell me."

"You mean confess to you?"

"So you heard."

"I did."

"Aren't you going to ask who the person I have feelings for is?"

It's almost too easy to ask. It was already on the tip of Murasakibara's tongue to ask that question. He wanted to know the girl who stole _his_ Muro-chin's heart and he was absolutely burning with curiosity.

And yet in the end, he didn't.

"Too much trouble, and I'm hungry."

"Of course you are. Come, let's go now." Himuro laughed.

* * *

**\(^ v ^)/**

* * *

A couple of days later, Murasakibara was seated under the shade of one of the many huge trees around campus during lunch time, eating his mountain of food which he bought from the cafeteria. Himuro wasn't with him today as he some class duties to finish up and latter was left to his own devices for that entire 45 minutes.

It probably would have been easier if Murasakibara ate his lunch in the school cafeteria but it was way too crowded at this time of the day. His tall frame made it rather awkward around crowds and he actively tried to avoid those. So, to solve the dual problem of the already lack of space in the cafeteria and his extreme dislike for crowds, he and Himuro usually had their lunch under the shade of the trees in solitude which they both enjoyed immensely.

"There you are Murasakibara-kun." A feminine voice greeted him.

Murasakibara looked up lazily from the bag of chips he was holding. It was the same girl who confessed to Himuro a couple of days ago.

"Who are you?"

"Allow me to introduce myself. Saotome Erika, Himuro-kun's classmate."

When Murasakibara barely batted an eyelash at her introduction, she went on.

"You are Himuro-kun's roommate, correct?"

Again, the younger boy gave no answer since he was too busy chewing some Pocky sticks (to him, the food was definitely more interesting).

"Then you should be the person who's the closest to Himuro-kun."

"And so…?"

"I want you to tell me who Himuro-kun likes."

Murasakibara's bored eyes immediately turned into a steely violet colour. "I don't think that concerns you." He said coldly.

Erika was surprised by the sudden change in the freshman. She had never seen him act that way. Usually he was all lazy and spoke with a bored tone in his voice all the time but now, it was almost like a different person talking. But nevertheless, she kept her composure and went on.

"Yes it does. I want to know just who stole what rightfully is mine."

"Muro-chin doesn't belong to anyone but himself."

She was already losing her patience but she reeled it in. If she were to date Himuro Tatsuya, she'd have to get along with his best friend, no matter how much she disliked him. So, she gave him a sickly sweet (and fake) smile.

"Alright, listen to me here Murasakibara-kun. I really like Himuro-kun and I want to be his girlfriend. So, would you kindly tell me who she is, so I can reclaim what is mine?"

"First of all, I don't know who she is. Second, even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."

A vein visibly pulsed in the girl's forehead. No one has ever said no to her, ever. Not her parents, not her friends and certainly none of the boys ever did and she wasn't going to let this cocky, lazy freshman be the first to turn her down.

"Look, it seems like you're not clear what I'm trying to say here. I will make Himuro Tatsuya my boyfriend and you're going to help me achieve that. If it's money you want, name your price. I'm sure…"

Immediately, Murasakibara rose to his full height, making the already petite girl look even more like a doll beside him. His anger was evident in his cold violet eyes, even more than when Kagami challenged him so openly on the court, and his usual bored drawl was replaced with a dangerous and serious one that meant business (something he picked up from Akashi no doubt).

All of a sudden, Saotome Erika felt like one of those cornered animals she saw on those animal documentaries, the ones who have nowhere left to run as the predator approached them.

No, this was much worst.

"Please don't think that you can just buy me with money, my family has plenty of that. I'm only going to say this once. Muro-chin is my best friend, and whoever he likes is entirely up to him and it's none of my business and certainly not yours. I don't care what your reasons are but if you try anything funny with him, I will show you exactly why I'm the Evil King on the courts. I will not hesitate to crush you, you understand that?"

Erika looked frightened at his sudden outburst, to feel that steely, piercing violet gaze on her and not to mention the fact the boys could probably crush her without a second thought.

No one has ever threatened her like that before. Usually she just use a bunch of usual threats about ruining the school life of whoever who refused to comply with her 'requests' but Murasakibara Atsushi was on a whole different league. From what she'd heard, this kid had been close friends with Akashi Seijuuro, the former captain of the Generation of Miracles. Everyone in Japan above the age of 5 knew who the Akashi family was and challenging a member of that household or even one of their close acquaintances would be just suicide, and I meant it literally!

Her body failed to react in any way; all she could do is numbly nod her head at the tall freshman.

"Good that we have an understanding. Even though I have no idea who you are, but I still remember your face, _senpai_…" Murasakibara's lips twisted at the title he didn't think she deserved but necessary to make his point across.

"Ahh, there you are Atsushi! I was… Saotome-chan?" Himuro's warm voice echoed behind them.

The both of them turned immediately and saw the raven haired boy walking towards them with a smile on his face.

"Muro-chin…"

"Himuro-kun."

"I didn't know you were friends with Atsushi, Saotome-chan. I hope he hasn't bothered you about buying him snacks."

"A-aha, no he hasn't. I-I was just asking him about s-something. I have to go now. E-excuse me." She stuttered before dashing off in the opposite direction as far from the both of them as possible.

Himuro stared at the girl's receding figure before looking up to the younger boy. "Atsushi, did you say something to her?"

Murasakibara lifted a stick of strawberry flavoured Pocky into his mouth and bit into it as casually and as normal as he gets.

"Dunno. Girls are weird."

* * *

**\(^ v ^)/**

* * *

In the following month after the Erika incident, there seem to be more girls flocking to Himuro's side, demanding to know who his sweetheart is. From what one could gather accidentally was that Himuro Tatsuya was seeing someone whose identity remains a complete mystery to the entire student body of Yosen.

Even Murasakibara wasn't spared from the mayhem. Every time the girls found him sitting somewhere without Himuro, they'd flock to his side and prod him about Himuro, for anything that might win them the heart of the raven haired boy.

Most of them would come up to him in pairs or in threes, so purple haired boy could hardly give them the same treatment he gave Erika (too many girls, and too much headache for him). So, he resolved to answer in monosyllables (not that he was much of a talker in the first place) and take as much interest into the snacks he was eating then, or in other words, ignore them the best he could.

But Murasakibara wasn't the only one who was irritated by Himuro's status as the gossip of the month.

"Himuro, I know that your love life is currently the talk of the school but could you please avoid bringing your toxic waste to practice." Fukui spit though his teeth after some girls disrupted practice the third time that week, and it was only Wednesday.

Liu Wei stared at his teammate with a disapproving look on his face. "Don't be mean, Fukui. They might be annoying but they're still girls and they ought to be respected."

"Save all that gentleman crap for someone else. I don't care about girls."

"Sorry Fukui-senpai but it's not like I brought them here. And since I don't own this school or the gym, I just can't ask them to leave right?"

"Hey, why don't you get Murasakibara to chase them away? You guys are always together anyway and he's as good as being your bodyguard." Fukui suggested.

"Atsushi doesn't like to be bothered. Plus he lacks delicacy in dealing with females." Himuro smiled, knowing how clueless the younger boy is about dealing with girls.

Okamura cleared his throat. "As much as I wish I were in your shoes Himuro, but this has to be sorted out as soon as possible. It's really starting to get annoying."

"I understand Captain. I'll try."

* * *

**\(^ v ^)/**

* * *

"_Please tell me now that you know how I feel_

_I'm always close to you (next to you), can't I love you?  
This heart that wants to protect you more than anyone else, can you accept it?_

_To be the one that's in your heart (in your heart), can't I be that?  
To be the most important person in your life is what I want to be, so quickly take my heart._

_Please understand my heart"_

**_..._**

Murasakibara hates it. He absolutely _hates_ dealing with girls, especially when it comes to matters about Himuro.

They're usually small, petite (he had this weird notion in his head that he would crush them if he got to close), wore tons of perfume and hardly ever went out without painting their faces with make up, and ten times more annoying than Kuro-chin and his whole "love basketball" and "hard work pays off" philosophy.

And now, because of all the girls flocking to Himuro's side at all times of the day, Murasakibara found it hard to stomach all of the annoying voices around them. The only time they truly have peace is when they're both in the safety of their shared room at the school dorms, only because the girls are strictly forbidden in the boys' dorm.

Just what wouldn't he give to shove all of those pesky girls aside? He would have done it, he really wants to do it but physically hurting a girl is way beyond his non-existent code of honour. He may be a titan sized person but he wasn't a bully. His family definitely raised him better than that. But he has definitely had enough of the female species these couple of days to last for the next ten years.

They're everywhere, either waiting for Himuro or to prod him for information about his roommate) in the hallways, in the cafeteria and even in the gym, the supposedly one of the only places in school where he was guaranteed of a female-free environment minus his coach. And to make matters worst, he has a crap ton of Chemistry homework to finish and it's a freaking Friday night.

Murasakibara have always hated Chemistry, he absolutely hated it! You can now add that to the long, ever growing list of things hated by Murasakibara Atsushi.

He hates the subject not just because all those equations all _look_ the same and the formulas sometimes made no sense at all, but because of his tall, awkward frame (plus huge hands) made it almost impossible for him to handle the delicate test tubes or the bottles of chemicals without breaking or crushing them, or send the entire apparatus set up crashing to the floor (sorry, but he just wasn't born with the grace of Himuro Tatsuya). Usually he'd stay as far away as possible whenever they did experiments, leaving all the work to his lab partner who was thankfully still competent in handling the work without him.

Murasakibara had been sitting at his desk with a lollipop in his mouth and a mountain of chemistry books open for hours and he wasn't close to being done. He would be glad to leave the stack of homework into the hands of his lab partner but unfortunately, he can't do that since Yosen has a strict policy against copying someone's homework. It would be really easy to just conveniently _forget_ that he had homework today, but Akashi would just fire his ass and lecture him for the months to come and how he knew that Atsushi wasn't doing his homework would remain a mystery still. And today, Himuro wasn't around either to help him, something about a class project meeting that he had to attend.

Murasakibara removed his reading glasses and placed them on his desk, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. He still wasn't quite used to wearing the glasses yet, but he had to.

His vision had been deteriorating this past couple of months to the point he can't really read the smaller fonts printed in his books clearly. His sister then forced him to get a pair of glasses for the sake of his health, with a couple of not so subtle threats of cutting off his allowance for snacks which he cannot live without and a phone call to a certain red head currently residing in Kyoto. In short, Murasakibara had a pair of extra durable glasses made (he doesn't want to crush them by accident every time he put them on) and sent to him last week.

**...**

"_You look... different. But it's a good different. " Himuro commented with a smile when he saw his roommate with his brand new glasses on._

"_I only wear them because nee-chan threatened to cut off my allowance and call Aka-chin."_

"_You should wear them more often. You look kinda cute wearing them."_

Even though Murasakibara couldn't see how someone like him could be classified as 'cute' but Himuro made him feel a tiny bit better about the glasses.

**…..**

Murasakibara turned his head to the side, feeling the joints crack followed by a slight relief in his neck. There was no way he could finish all of this tonight, not ever.

_Maybe I should go make something sweet,_ Murasakibara thought, since he had been craving something sweet for dessert.

Baking was something Murasakibara was actually good at, something he always did to clear his mind. Cupcakes of different flavours with frosting, melt-in-your-mouth brownies and heavenly scones for afternoon tea were literally a piece of cake for him. Almost nothing could break his concentration when he's baking, unless maybe you're Muro-chin and you're planning to bribe him with a week's worth of candy.

Maybe after this, he'd be able to do more of his homework, when he's not busy sampling his latest creation that is.

He got up and reached out to grab the hair elastic from his desk, tying up his hair at the nape before heading down to the kitchens below their dorms. No one bothered to use the kitchen except on special occasions (a.k.a Valentine's Day, White Day, etc.), so Murasakibara was free to use it whenever he liked. He even had a special section set aside in the freezer where he could store his ingredients whenever he needed to.

He made it down to the kitchens without encountering anyone, since most of the students would be in their rooms sleeping or tackling their homework at this time. He opened the cabinet where he kept his navy coloured apron and tied it around his waist before getting down to business. With ease, he got out all every thing he needed, measured each and every one of them, and carrying out each step to precision, whether it's adding the eggs one by one into the mixture or even pouring the batter into shallow pans before pushing them into the preheated oven.

While the cakes were baking in the oven, he scraped a saucepan full of white chocolate which he melted earlier into a bowl of whipped cream. Using a rubber spatula, he folded the mixture gently to make sure it's light and fluffy. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't even notice the raven haired boy who had been standing there for the past 5 minutes, watching him.

"You didn't invite me to come with you, Atsushi."

Murasakibara didn't even look up from his task. "Oh, Muro-chin… You were busy, and I got tired of chemistry."

"I can see that. What are you making this time?"

"White chocolate strawberry shortcake."

"Sounds delicious. But why are you stirring it that way?"

"I don't know but I have to do it this way for it to turn out right. Here, taste." Murasakibara dipped his fingers into the mixture and brought it to Himuro's lips.

The taste of chocolate was well balanced by the whipped cream. It wasn't too sweet or too bland. Himuro could taste how well this would compliment the sour-sweet tang of strawberries and the sponge cake currently baking in the oven. The aroma of vanilla was already filling the entire kitchen with its homey and warm scent which brought comfort to anyone who smelt it.

"It tastes wonderful Atsushi, as usual of course."

That little praise made Murasakibara's heart soared a little. "Hmm, wanna help me? I still need to cut the strawberries into small cubes."

"Okay." The raven haired boy smiled, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.

"But first, turn around." The older boy obliged with no further questions asked.

Murasakibara reached into the same cabinet and got out another apron similar to his for Himuro. Without a word, he hung the apron on him and tied the apron in a neat bow behind the other boy's back. "There, all done."

"Thanks, Atsushi."

Himuro started cutting the strawberries, the knife he was holding sliced perfectly across the chopping board. Murasakibara watched the older boy's movements with fascination in his eyes. How could someone be so graceful no matter what he does, whether in basketball or even in the kitchen?

"Atsushi, mind if I ask you something? Why do you keep spacing out these days? It's like you have a lot on your mind, but refused to tell me anything. Did something happen?"

Even if Murasakibara was a master at hiding his emotions and you can never really interpret his thoughts (unless he wanted snacks from you) but Himuro was no fool. He knew his roommate too well.

"Nothing, it's just that they're too many girls bothering me these days. They all want to know who Muro-chin's mystery girlfriend is."

The look on Himuro's face changed. "I'm sorry Atsushi. I didn't know that it would turn out this way."

"It's nothing, but I really wanted to crush them though."

Himuro chuckled at his friend's comment. "Atsushi, they're girls. They should be dealt with courtesy and respect. You need to learn that eventually or you won't be able to find a girlfriend."

"I don't like girls, or girlfriends. They're annoying."

_But you're not, Muro-chin… _He wanted to add.

"You won't think so eventually."

"What about you, who's the lucky girl?"

That question caught Himuro off guard. "I-I thought you didn't want to know."

"I changed my mind. So, which girl is it?"

Himuro suddenly took a great interest in the strawberries which he was cutting, shifting his weight uncomfortably from one leg to the other.

"It's not a girl." He muttered quietly. He was little worried about his friend's reaction, since Atsushi was one of the most unpredictable people he had ever met. But he didn't even bat an eyelash at his words, the expression on his face remained unchanged.

"Is it someone I know?"

Himuro remained quiet for a while before answering. "… Yes."

He knew it! He knew it deep inside his gut, and he had a pretty good guess who that guy was.

Kagami Taiga.

He knew those two are too close to be brothers, or else both of them won't be wearing identical rings on a chain around their necks. That was something lovers did, not brothers.

Kagami should be thankful that he wasn't within a 5 kilometer radius of the Yosen ace, or things would get ugly.

An idiot like him, that… what did Mine-chin call him again? Yes, that Bakagami, gets to be the one enjoying all of his Muro-chin's affections. He was gripping the countertop so hard that it nearly broke.

"Do you… know who is it then?"

"Why him?" Murasakibara muttered softly with a sad tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry Atsushi but I can't hear you."

"Why does it have to be Kagami Taiga?"

Himuro's face contorted into confusion. "I don't understand what you're trying to say here."

"Remember you said that you hated him for losing intentionally to you? Remember when we lost to Seirin? Have you forgotten all of that?"

"Atsushi, wh-…"

"What's so good about that idiot jumper anyway? I can do better than him. He has a stomach like a black hole; at least I only eat snacks. Kuro-chin told me his grades were halfway down the drain. I bet I can cook way better than him, so I can take care of you better than that moron. I'll give you everything you want, even my heart."

The look on Murasakibara's face was about at serious as a 5 year kid but he meant every word he said, and that only made Himuro smile.

"I think you got it all wrong there. I said I liked Taiga that way. Besides, he's been dating Kuroko-san for a while now." Himuro explained patiently.

Murasakibara was floored. He was so sure it had been that annoying, red headed upstart. "The person that you like is not Kaga-chin?"

Himuro noticed that the other boy was back to calling his brother 'Kaga-chin'. "Our relationship stops at us being brothers, and that's all."

Okay, that's one guy down and about a hundred potential rivals to hunt down. He was so ready to face his rival head on and win, no matter who he is.

"Then who is it? Just give it to me straight."

"Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Yes. Tell me now Muro-chin, so I can hunt him down and crush him."

Himuro scratched the beck of his neck casually, refusing to look the taller boy in the eyes.

"Well… he's tall, smart and handsome. He's really talented in basketball. You should see how he plays seriously on the court, it's truly a sight to behold. He insists he can never be cute in any way but I find him perfectly adorable in every way. I really, really like him, for everything he is."

Murasakibara's mood darkened even more. It's bad enough that Muro-chin liked someone else other than him; and now he had to endure his lavish praises for the other man. It was definitely enough to make his blood boil and his heart sink down to his stomach.

_Muro-chin, why can't I be the one who loves you most…? _

But wait, did he even know someone like Muro-chin how described? This guy sounded way too good to be true and the only person who was the closest person to his descriptions was Aka-chin, minus the height of course (he was pretty sure that Aka-chin would look like a midget standing next to Muro-chin).

"The person you like can't be Aka-chin, right?"

"Aka-chin? What the… There's no way I'll like your former captain, Atsushi. We've only met once, and it was for a full five minutes only. Besides, he's not my cup of tea."

"Then who is it? I don't know that many people at all, and all of them don't match what you just told me."

Himuro put down the knife he's been holding all this while and looked up to face Atsushi with a smile. "Silly Atsushi, would be more obvious if I told you he liked sweets more than anything else in the world? Or that he sleeps in the same room as I do every night?"

Sleep in the same room? But the one sharing a room with Muro-chin was… oh.

_Oh…_

Realization dawned upon him. Murasakibara was sure his face was sporting some interesting expression, judging from the way Muro-chin was smiling at him. "Seems to me that you've figured it out by now, took you long enough Atsushi…"

"Muro-chin… likes me? But I'm not…"

"You're sweet in your own way, even though you never really show it to anyone else. You go out of your way to do all these little things for me that you never plan on telling me. Do you think I never realized that you've been slipping my favourite candy into my bag every morning for the past couple of months? Do you think I don't know that you put the duvet over me when it falls off me at night? And of course, I know all about your deal with Saotome Erika that day under the tree, I just pretended not to notice."

"If you knew, why didn't you say anything about it?" The taller boy asked quietly.

"Because… I like it when you take care of me that way. It makes me feel special." Himuro answered with a smile, like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Just then, the timer on the over went off, catching the attention of both boys. Without hesitation, Murasakibara donned a pair of oven gloves and made his way to the oven. The fragrant vanilla scent filled the entire kitchen as he removed the cakes from oven and transferred them onto the cooling rack.

Himuro took a deep breath, taking in the wonderful smells filling the kitchen. "It smells like heaven, and I cannot wait to taste that, Atsushi."

With a grin, the raven haired boy dipped one of the strawberries into the chocolate whipped cream mixture and popped it into his mouth. A thought popped right into Murasakibara's head as he saw the look of delight on Himuro's face.

"It's not fair Muro-chin. I want to have a taste too."

Without another word, the taller boys swooped in and captured Himuro's lips in a sweet kiss (literally speaking!). Muro-chin's lips were soft and smooth, just like he imagined it, only better since they were the real thing. Plus, the fact that he tasted like strawberries and chocolate was an added bonus.

Murasakibara could not resist grinning at the older boy. "Hmm, you taste wonderful, Muro-chin. Like chocolate and Muro-chin, two of my favourite things in the world."

Even though Murasakibara's comment was seemingly rather innocent and as honest as he gets, Himuro couldn't help but blush slightly at his words. Seeing the warm peach tint creping across the others cheek pleased Murasakibara to no end, since it was rare to see Muro-chin out of the ice prince façade he kept on.

The taller boy tilted the other boy's chin up. "Since Muro-chin returns my feelings, then no more looking at other girls or boys, okay? Only look at me, you understand?"

The usual bored look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a steady determination that Himuro had never seen before. "Yes Atsushi."

"Hmm, then I guess you won't be wearing this anymore." Murasakibara's strong fingers closed swiftly around the ring hanging from the silver chain that Himuro wore around his neck and broke it with a simple jerk.

"Atsushi…." Himuro was shocked, and even more so when the taller boy pried his fingers open and placed the ring into his hands.

"Keep this if you must, but don't wear it around your neck. You belong to me Muro-chin, so you shouldn't be wearing another man's ring. I'll buy you another one if you like, something that remind you of me always."

He never expected Atsushi to be such a possessive person. One should have found that bold action a little intimidating, especially so early in a relationship but to Himuro, it was noting but endearing coming from the younger boy. With a smile, he slipped the ring into the pocket of his pants.

"Alright, I promise."

Murasakibara's face broke into a lazy smile. "You know Muro-chin, I think I might be addicted to something else now."

"And what's that?"

"Muro-chin's lips." The taller boy muttered before capturing his lover's lips in another kiss as perfect and as sweet as chocolate itself.

_**-owari-**_

* * *

_******A/N:- Sorry of the extra out-of-characterness and the over the top cheesiness of this story. If it sucks and not what you expected, I apologize. **_

_*******offers strawberry flavoured Pocky***_


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